Chinese zoo tries to pass off large dog as lion

A Tibetan mastiff dog barks at strangers as he is tied up inside a van during a dog sale outside a convention center at Changping, northern suburb of Beijing, China, Sunday, March 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

What sound does a lion make?

If you guessed "woof," you're right, at least at one Chinese zoo.

According to Fox News, a zoo in the Henan province of China was busted after trying to pass off a Tibetan mastiff (read: "dog") for an African lion.

"The zoo is absolutely cheating us," the paper quoted Liu, who was charged 15 yuan ($2.45) for the ticket, as saying. "They are trying to disguise the dogs as lions."

Liu said he son pointed out that the "lion" was barking.

The zoo also had two rodents in a cage designated for a snake, a fox in a leopard pen and a different dog in a wolf enclosure.

An official said the zoo's lion was at a breeding facility and the dog was being housed in the zoo over safety concerns. Or, in other words, the zoo was caught red-handed.